Feed mechanism for furnaces.



W. o. ROBINSON. FEED MEGHANISM POR FURNAGES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.27.1908.

914.188; Y Patented M3112, 1909,

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. C. ROBINSON. FEED MEGHANISM POR FURNAGES.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.27,190.

R des E @NMA mnwv flat i a ULI WITNESSES:

W. G. ROBINSON.

FEED MEGHANISM FOR FURNAGES.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.27.1906.

91 4, 1 88, Patented Mar. 2, 1909. 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Fll'l- INVENTOR Wi l R 0 B I N S 0 Nl FEED MBGHANISM' FFFFFFFFFF s.

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F'I E, f.

W. C. ROBINSON.

FEED MEGHANISM FOR FURNACESQ APPLICATIONl FILED Nov. 27, 190s.

9 1 4, 1 88 Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

Attys the cylinder or drums.

' Way of their length with rollers WILLIAM C. ROBINSON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED MECHANISM FOR FURNAGES.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed November 27. 1908. Serial No. 464,544.

To (11111171.0111 it may concer/'1:

Bc it known that 1, li iLLiAM C. lioniNsoN,

residing at littsburg, in thc'county of Allegheny and State oi Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered a certain nev.' and useful ln'iprovenient l subjected to heat in the presence of a treating:

material, can be vmoved into and out of the furnace and axially rotated While in the furnace to insure. the uniform heating of the contents.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

ln the accompanying part of this specification Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a furnace and a portion of the coolingr chamber having my improvement applied thereto, Fig. 2 is a sin'iilar vieiv of a portion of the furnace and the coolingr chainber, Fig. 3 is a transverse section in a plane indicated by the-line Ill-lli Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a sectional plan viewplf g. 5 is a transverse section on a plane indicatedby the line 'V-Y Fig. 1. Figs. (3 and 7 are sectional and plan views of the means employed for holding the sprocket chain in engagement of the teeth on In the practice of my Y,invention a furnace having a heating chamber of a sufficient l length to contain a number of drums and preferably having receiving and discharging openings is employed. A plurality of cylinder or drum-carrying chains 1 are passed through the openings at the front and rear fi of the furnace and around sprocket wheels 2 and 3 on shafts 4 and 5 which are mounted in suitable bearings. T he returning portions of the chains pass under the floor of the heating chamber. As shown in Fig. 1 the chains are provided with rollers G arranged at the junctions of the links forming the chains and preferably loosely mounted'on pins 7 passing through the ends of adjacent llinks. The rollers move along the rails 8 preferably arranged below the vfloor of the furnace so that the chains will be largely protected. The links are provided preferably at points mid- 9 loosely mounted on pins 10 secured at their ends to i the bars forming the .links in such manner drawings forming a i i l 1 i i i i l l i i i l l l l i l l l that portions of the rollers 9 will reject above the edges of the links. The rol ers are so spaced that. adj acont rollers will form rotatable supports for the` cylinders or drums, 1which preferably are placed when charged on the skids 11 at the front end of the furnace. These skids preferably have a sli fht inclina tion so that the loaded druin Wil roll down and being seated on adjacent rollers 9 Will be carried through the furnace by the chains. `While on the furnace the drums are rotated on their axis by means hereinafter described, and in order that the drums may not move longitudinally While rotating on the.rollers the latter are grooved for the reception of peripheral ribs 12 o n the drums.

The rotation of the drums may be effected by any suitable means such for example as the sprocket chains 13 engaging teeth 14 on the peripheries of the drums. As shown the chain passes around sprocket Wheels 15 and 16 loosely mounted on the shafts 4 and 5 at the ends of the furnace. The sprocket Wheel lo is adapted to be connected with a gear wheel 17 bymeans of a clutch 18 said gear wheel being also loosely mounted on the shaft 5 and driven as hereinafter described. 'This sproclot chain is yicldingiy supported in its passage through the furnace to engage the teeth 14 on the drums. Such support is conveniently formed by rollers 19 over Which the chain passes and loosely mounted on one end of a series of levers 20 having their opposite ends weighted as clearly shown in rigs. 4, 5, 6 and 7*. These levers have their pivotal shafts 21 mounted in the sides of boxes 22 embedded in the bottom of the furnace. The levers and their supports are preferably spaced a distance apart a little greater than the diameters of the drums so as to insure an efficient engagement of the chain With'the, teeth on the drum.

A convenient means for driving the shaft 5 consists of a motor 23 operatively connected to a shaft 24 having pinions 25 and 26 respectively intermeshing with gear Wheels 27 and 17 loosely mounted on the shaft 5. The gear wheel 27v is adapted to be connected-to the shaft 5 by a clutch mechanism 28 When it is desired to rotate the sprocket Wheels 3 to move the drums into or along the furnace. After a drum or series of drums has been drawnY into the furnace, the clutch 28 vis thrown out of operation, and the clutch 18 is shifted to connect the.' gear wheel 17 with theV IOO sprocket Wheel 16 whereby the chain 13 is caused to travel and rotate the drum or drums.

After the contents of the drums have been properly treated the clutch 28 is again thrown in so as to move the drums out through the rear door of the furnace and preferably onto skids 2t). lt will be understood that newly charged drunis can be drawn into ,the furnace at the same time those which have been proper v heated are moved out. During the movement of the drums into and out of the furnace, the sprocket chain 13 may be operated. ll the rates ol' movement of the chains l l and i3 are the same there will not be any rotation of the drums, While being shifted, but il' the rates of movement are different, the drums will be rotated while being shifted.

ln order to hasten the cooling of the drums and their contents the skids 29 are extended I from the rear end of 'the furnace and are inclosed in a tunnel 3() having a stack 31 at the end adjacent to the furnace and provided with a door 32 at its opposite end for the removal ef the drums. A tube 33, arranged adjacent to the disel'iarge end of the tunnel, is connected to a suitable source of fluid under pressure, Which will escape into the tunnel through perforations in the tube 33 and flow forward above and belouT the .drums resting on the skids and efl'ect a rapid cooling of the same. As shown the skids are given an inclination so that the drums Will roll towards the discharge end ef the tunnel and movable stops 34 and 35 are provided for arresting the movement of the drums. These stops may be made in the form of pivotally mounted arms connected at their lower ends to operating rods 36 and 37 extending outside of the tunnel.

I claim herein as my invention:

l. A furnace having in combination therewith endless chains `passing' through the l'urnace, means for shifting said chains and rollers rotatably mounted on the chains, and so arranged relative to each other, that adjai cent rollers will form supports permitting el the movement of the article being heated indepeneent of its movement through the furi nace. 2. .fr furnace having in combination therewith endless chains passing through the furnace, rollers suitably arranged, along said i chains to form movable supports for the article to be heated, means vfor shifting said chains, and means for rotating'the article en the rollers. l

3. A furnace having in combination therewithy rails extending through the furnace, endless chains provided with rollers adapted to travel along said rails, rollers suitably arranged along the chains to form movable supports for the article to be heated, means for shifting the chains, and means for rotating the article on the rollers.

e. A furnace having in combination therewith chains passing through the furnace, means for shifting the chains, rollers suitably arranged along the chains, a drum or cylinder supported by said rollers and provided with teeth arranged around its periphery, an endless sproeket chain passing through the furnace, yielding means for holding said chain inengageinent With the teeth on the drum and means for shifting the chain.

5.` A furnace having in combination there- With endless chains passing through thefurnace, rollers suitably arranged along the chains, a drum or cylinder supported by said rollers and provided with teeth arranged around its periphery, an endless sprocket chain passing through the furnace, Weighted levers provided with rollers for holding the chain in engagement with the teeth on the drum and means for shifting the chain.

6. A furnace having in combination there- With loosely mounted rollers, a drumor cylinder supported by the rollers and provided with teeth arranged around its periphery, a sprocket chain passing through the furnace, yielding means for holding the chain in engagement with the teeth on the drum, and means for shifting the chain.

'7 A furnace having in combination therewith a drum. or cylinder for the articles to be treated, means for moving the drum through the furnace, means for rotating the drum, a tunnel provided with skids arranged at the discharge end of the furnace, and means for y forcing a cooling fluid through said tunnel.

ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM (I. ROBINSON. Witnesses:

CHARLES BARNETT, FRANCIS J. 'louAssoN 

